KAWS - Gone (2019)

KAWS: Gone is a screenprint showing the artist's signature Companion figure cradling a limp, Mickey Mouse-derived character in a pose suggesting grief or loss. The image is one of KAWS' most emotionally direct works, using his established pop-culture vocabulary to address themes of mourning and vulnerability.

The Companion is KAWS' most recognizable recurring character, a stylized figure with an elongated skull-like head and X-marked eyes derived from Mickey Mouse and other cartoon iconography. Created by Brian Donnelly (KAWS), the Companion first appeared in his street art and vinyl toy releases before becoming central to his fine art practice.

KAWS: Gone is a screenprint produced in 2019, part of KAWS' extensive practice of creating editioned prints alongside his paintings and sculptures. Screenprinting allows KAWS to produce limited editions of his imagery for collectors at a lower price point than his unique paintings.

Gone addresses themes of loss, grief, and the emotional weight of popular imagery, depicting the Companion holding what appears to be a lifeless figure. The work exemplifies KAWS' practice of using familiar commercial and cartoon-derived characters to explore surprisingly somber human emotions.